by Ben Hogwood “I had never heard anyone deal with music or language in that way, turning language into music that had political content. I was completely floored by it” – sculptor and artist…

by Ben Hogwood “It was, I have to say, one of the three to four really life-changing musical events of my life” – Brian Eno on hearing Steve Reich’s It’s Gonna Rain for the first time (from S…

Steve Reich: New York City, May 2005 Credit: Jeffrey Herman by Ben Hogwood Steve Reich is 90. Steve Reich is 90 and I’m listening… Steve Reich is 90 and I’m listening to everything… Ste…

The Wigmore Hall director talks to Ben Hogwood about the London venue’s 125th anniversary celebrations, the 2026-27 season and what keeps him motivated in his role after 25 years. Since the b…

Today I want to use Arcana to pay tribute to a great friend, who very sadly passed away last recently at the age of 63. I first met Matthias Siefert in the year 2000. We were working at an Internet…

Today is known as Blue Monday, the day where New Year’s resolutions have traditionally worn off…and people have had enough of January. It happens also to be the name of one of the best electronic m…

by Ben Hogwood What’s the story? This is the second single from Nathan Fake’s forthcoming album Evaporator, due for release on 20 February on InFiné. Although called Slow Yamaha, it fea…

by Ben Hogwood In my humble opinion, 2025 has been a brilliant year for new music. Over the course of the year I have listened to more than a hundred new albums and have been fortunate enough to re…

by Ben Hogwood pictures (c) Ribaltaluce Studio (Francesco Cilluffo); Pádraig Grant (rehearsals) Arcana has the pleasure of an audience with conductor Francesco Cilluffo, in his third year as Princi…

by Ben Hogwood Picture by Kauppo Kikkas, used from the ECM Records website Today marks the birthday of one of our most important and best-loved composers, the Estonian Arvo Pärt. Pärt is best known…

Natalya Romaniw (soprano), Jennifer Johnston (mezzo-soprano), Russell Thomas (tenor), James Newby (baritone) Carlos González Nápoles (treble), Malakai Bayoh (alto), Constanza Chorus, BBC Symphony C…

Rebecca Hardwick (soprano), Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Michael Bell (tenor), Malachy Frame (baritone), Three Choirs Festival Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra / Adrian Partington Howells Par…

Augustin Hadelich (violin), BBC Symphony Orchestra / Sakari Oramo Stravinsky Le chant du rossignol (1914/17)Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (1838-44)Anthony Davis Tales (Tails) of th…

Alexandre Kantorow (piano), Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Maxim Emelyanychev Rameau Les Indes galantes – suite (1735)Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto no.5 in F major Op.103 ‘Egyptian’ (1896)Capperauld Bru…

Sarah Aristidou (soprano), Jérôme Comte (clarinet), Lucas Ounissi (trombone), Yann Brécy (IRCAM electronics), Sylvain Cadars (IRCAM sound diffusion), Ensemble Intercontemporain / Pierre Bleuse Beri…

Sean Shibe (guitar), BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Anja Bihlmaier Richard Strauss Tod und Verklärung Op.24 (1888-89)Simpson ZEBRA (or, 2-3-74: The Divine Invasion of Philip K. Dick) (2025) [BBC comm…

Timothy Ridout (viola), Orchestra of Opera North / Tom Fetherstonhaugh Vaughan Williams The Wasps – Overture (1909)Bliss (orch. Wilby) Viola Concerto, B68a (1933, orch. 2023)Coleridge-Taylor Solemn…

Johan Dalene (violin, above), Andreas Brantelid (cello, bottom), Christian Ihle Hadland (piano, middle) Korngold Piano Trio in D major Op.1 (1909-10)Ravel Piano Trio in A minor (1914) Wigmore Hall,…

Beethoven’s Fidelio, Garsington Opera at Wormsley, Stokenchurch, UK | Pictured: Robert Murray (Florestan); Sally Matthews (Leonore) | Image © Julian Guidera 2025 Fidelio (1804-5, rev. 1814) M…

by Ben Hogwood Picture from the Bain Collection, Library of Congress This day marks the centenary of the premiere of one of Prokofiev’s most remarkable works, the Second Symphony. It was firs…

John and Paul: A Love Story in Songsby Ian LeslieFaber & Faber 2025 (hardback 432 pages, ISBN: 978-0571376117) Reviewed by John Earls To write a book about The Beatles these days must be someth…

John and Paul: A Love Story in Songsby Ian LeslieFaber & Faber 2025 (hardback 432 pages, ISBN: 978-0571376117) Reviewed by John Earls To write a book about The Beatles these days must be someth…

Viktoria Mullova (violin), Alasdair Beatson (fortepiano) Beethoven Sonata for piano and violin no.6 in A major Op.30/1 (1802)Beethoven Sonata for piano and violin no.8 in G major Op.30/3 (1802)Schu…

Mao Fujita (piano), Philharmonia Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä Missy Mazzoli These Worlds In Us (2006)Mozart Piano Concerto no.25 in C major K503 (1786)Mendelssohn Symphony no.5 in D minor Op.107, &#8216…

Caplet En regardant ces belles fleursMilhaud L’innocence Op. 10/3Hahn À ChlorisRavel arr. Stravinsky Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé M64Auric Trois Interludes: Le pouf.Ropartz La RouteDurey L’Off…

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra / Michael Seal (above) Sir Arthur BlissMiracle in the Gorbals (1944) – OvertureThings to Come (1934) – MarchMetamorphic Variations (1972) Royal Concert Hall, NottinghamWe…

Maria Schneider and Oslo Jazz Ensemble Barbican Hall, London, 2 March 2025 by John Earls. Photo credits (c) John Earls Maria Schneider is a distinct force. A passionate advocate of musicians’ owner…

Susan Bullock (soprano), Richard Sisson (piano) Bechstein Hall, London, 21 February 2025 by John Earls. Photo credit (c) John Earls There can’t be that many connections between Richard Wagner and t…

Philharmonia Chamber Players [Mark van de Wiel (clarinet, above), Eugene Lee, Fiona Cornall (violins), Scott Dickinson (viola), Karen Stephenson (cello)] Gipps Rhapsody in E flat major (1942)Weber …

Sebastian Rochford & Kit Downes @ Kings Place. Photo (c) John Earls As part of Arcana’s 10th birthday celebrations, we invited our readers to contribute with some of their ‘watershed’ musical m…

Elizaveta Ivanova (flute, below), BBC Symphony Orchestra / Vinay Parameswaran (above) Carlos Simon Fate Now Conquers (2020)Ibert Flute Concerto (1932-33)Prokofiev Symphony no.7 in C# minor Op.131 (…

The London Jazz Orchestra (full line-up below) / Scott Stroman The Vortex, London, 2 February 2025 by John Earls. Photo credits (c) John Earls, picture of Kenny Wheeler (c) Scott Stroman Kenny Whee…

Credit: Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty As part of Arcana’s 10th birthday celebrations, we invited our readers to contribute with some of their ‘watershed’ musical moments from the last 10…

Charles Villiers Stanford by William Orpen Image Credit: Trinity College, University of Cambridge As part of Arcana’s 10th birthday celebrations, we invited our readers to contribute with some of t…

From Ben Hogwood, Arcana editor: If you’ll forgive the indulgence…Happy Birthday to us! Arcana is 10 years old today, a chance to celebrate a decade of sharing great music with our read…

by Ben Hogwood Arcana brings you good news from Wales, where Das Koolies have released a new single, Som Bom Magnifico, and posted plans for a new album in May. In case you don’t already know…

Juilliard String Quartet [Areta Zhulla, Ronald Copes (violins), Molly Carr (viola), Astrid Schween (cello)] Beethoven String Quartet no.13 in B flat major Op.130 (1825-6)Widmann String Quartet no.8…

Quatuor Danel [Marc Danel & Gilles Millet (violins), Vlad Bogdanas (viola), Yovan Markovitch (cello)] Shostakovich String Quartet no.11 in F minor Op.122 (1966)Shostakovich String Quartet no.12…

by Ben Hogwood What's the story? In the story of electronic music – and especially that with a more experimental, ambient viewpoint – the name of Lightwave will not be known to many. Christoph Harbonnier and Christian Wittman released their first album, Modular Experiments, in 1987, after which they recorded Cités Analogues in April and May 1988. It was released as a casette.

by Ben Hogwood This week we have learned the sad news of the death of Elgar Howarth at the age of 89. Howarth was a master of many disciplines, as this detailed obituary on the brass website 4barsrest outlines. Not only was he an inspired trumpet player, especially with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, but he was a fine composer and arranger for brass band and an outstanding conductor of music old and new.

by Ben Hogwood What's the story? The composition process for Christian Fennesz’s eighth album was relatively swift. Mosaic was written and recorded at the end of 2023 and completed in the summer of 2024, using a new studio space in the composer’s home city of Vienna. Experimentation is at its heart, from the collection of ideas through a process of improvisation and development.

The 13th January 1945 saw the world premiere of one of the 20th century’s best-loved symphonies, conducted by its composer at the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory. Sergei Prokofiev was the composer, with the USSR State Symphony Orchestra, giving the first performance of his Symphony no.5 in B flat major Op.100, intended to be "a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit".

A slight liberty with 'on this day'...but a chance to bring one of Russia's lesser lights to the fore. Vassily Kalinnikov was born on 13 January 1866, and died on 11 January 1901 - a tragically early passing, thought to have been from tuberculosis. In that short period of time he did however write a number of attractive orchestral pieces, headed by the…

by Ben Hogwood What's the story? Ryan Teague, the Bristolian soundsmith, has released a pair of instrumental compositions that suggest the influence of classical processes, combining simplicity and emotion. What's the music like? From its title, Chorale in A minor could have been written at any point in the last 300 years or so. Its musical language suggests a look back to the distant past, though the electronic choir sound has a touching and emotive simplicity.

by Ben Hogwood Image (c) Toronto Star via Getty Images Over Christmas we heard the sad news that pioneering harpsichordist Colin Tilney had died, at the age of 91. A pupil of the legendary Gustav Leonhardt, Tilney specialized mostly on the harpsichord but could also be heard playing the fortepiano The playlist below offers a selection of Tilney's recordings, mostly of early music - but including a snippet of…

by Ben Hogwood What tune does it use? A choral piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, called Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring). It is the tenth movement of his cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and mouth and deed and life), written early in Bach’s time in Leipzig, thought to have been in 1723.

by Ben Hogwood Picture by RCA Records Fair use from Wikipedia If he were still alive, Elvis Presley would have reached the grand age of 90 today. We can’t possibly do justice to ‘The Ki…

by Ben Hogwood. Picture (c) ITV Productions The New Year is barely a week old, yet TV viewers in the UK have already said goodbye to a much-loved detective. After 14 seasons DCI Vera Stanhope, play…

The Adoration of the Magi, by Edward Burne-Jones ‘A moment of sudden and great revelation or realization’. This is the second Oxford definition for the word ‘epiphany’…which is also a Christian fea…